Grab your bear can or camp chair, kick your feet up and chew the fat about anything Sierra Nevada related that doesn't quite fit in any of the other forums. Within reason, (and the HST rules and guidelines) this is also an anything goes forum. Tell stories, discuss wilderness issues, music, or whatever else the High Sierra stirs up in your mind.

Thanks Mark. Funny you should mention that, because the sky is wet when I paint it. But the stream was dry because I wanted to get that horizontal character to it. When you paint on wet paper, you lose some of that definition...

But on the ground, you are absolutely right. I was really just testing colors there, seeing what I would like. I should do that on a separate paper, then put it on the painting once I have it right...and I did want to leave that one tiny slice quite white, where the light hits the ground in the lower right corner...

Not sure why you can see these sometimes, and not others. Sounds like other people can see them? They are posted on Google photos in an album that is open to sharing....so should be visible.

Anyway, about your "lose definition" statement...
The trick is to pay close attention to the wetness of the paper (wet on wet) before you add the watercolor. As the paper drys, (you can see when the shine has left the wet paper...never add color before this stage has changed) when almost dry...wait a few more seconds, then add the colors. The dryer the wet paper, the more definition...but the barely-still-wet paper will allow the colors to mix some, especially if tilted. The hard part is knowing when to add color, how much of each, where, how wet the brush, which way to tilt, whether to use a thirsty brush to dab off... (and a bunch of other variables too, all of which makes watercolor impossible to master) - that critical stage...takes some practice and luck.

I was just showing your work to my budding artist daughter and she loves your style. She just spent the last 30 minutes pointing out the details of your composition that she loves, Including your general color pallet, but mostly that you do your line art over your water color which is opposite of what she does, so she was fascinated seeing the opposite of her process.

“Posterity! You will never know, how much it cost the present generation, to preserve your Freedom! I hope you will make a good use of it. If you do not, I shall repent in Heaven, that I ever took half the pains to preserve it.”

I don't know Russ. I'd have to ask her. I have permission to share this. This was her final when she was working with charcoal.

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“Posterity! You will never know, how much it cost the present generation, to preserve your Freedom! I hope you will make a good use of it. If you do not, I shall repent in Heaven, that I ever took half the pains to preserve it.”

Another great painting, Mark. I really love your combination of watercolors and ink. Now I'm just going to have to plan a trip that goes by Matthes Lake - one of the few Cathedral Range lakes I have not yet visited.
-Phil